Harbour Grace Railway Station

 

 

Early History of the Railway in Harbour Grace

The 1860s was a decade of economic immiseration in Newfoundland. The island’s economy depended on the precarious market of its one staple item, cod fish. To develop and finally modernize, Newfoundland needed to diversify its industry. A railway was deemed essential for this task.

Proponents listed numerous benefits of a Newfoundland railway. It could open the island’s interior, a vast, undeveloped tract which boosters considered profitable for mining and agriculture. In addition, the railway would reduce isolation between St. John’s and prosperous coastal communities; further integrate the east and west coasts; and connect Newfoundland to its continental neighbours, mainland Canada and the United States.

However, support for the endeavour was not unanimous. Many thought Newfoundland could not afford a railway and considered the interior barren and otherwise unprofitable. Charles Fox Bennett, a noted anti-confederate politico, firmly opposed the project. He believed the railway would bankrupt the island, making confederation with Canada inevitable. In response, railway proponents, notably Ambrose Shea and William Whiteway, future Premier of Newfoundland, argued that if Newfoundland remained at its present state of development, confederation would be on the horizon regardless.

Initial hitches in the project strenthened these naysayers’ opinions. In 1875 Premier Frederic B. T. Carter’s government hired an engineer, Sandford Fleming, to survey land for the prospective railway. (This survey would cover a different route than the actual railway constructed years later.) The House of Assembly voted to pay $20,000 for this survey; however, the final cost was $40,000, double the agreed financial outlay. The Carter administration determined they could not face the expense, and the project was temporarily shelved.

Another issue, overlooked in the initial planning, was the French Shore. The Treaty of Versailles (1783), an international agreement between Britain and France, allowed French fisherman to access fishing areas between the boundary of Cape St. John and Cape Ray. This treaty caused the British government to wade into the Newfoundland railway question. The British did not want to risk a confrontation with France, especially over Newfoundland, a relatively insignificant colony. In 1878 William Whiteway, now premier, introduced a bill which sought to construct the railway along Fleming’s proposed route. However, the British government quashed the project, due to the location of its western terminus, St. George’s, on the French Shore. This imperial interference would end up delaying the project for three years

Despite this impediment, Premier Whiteway continued to extol the benefits of a railway, advising the colony to seize the initiative. Since Britain had given financial grants to Canada to build their railway, Whiteway believed a similar agreement could be reached. Even Canada could help with the cost, he argued. In hindsight, this rationale appears a case of fervent optimism, of magical thinking. Sandford Fleming, the initial surveyor, warned of circumspection in Britain’s financial circles, but dissenting, cautious voices were dismissed.

In 1879 Whiteway appealed to the British government for a financial subsidy to build the railway. In his opinion, Newfoundland had been pouring wealth into British coffers for centuries, and now Britain had to return the favour. In 1880 the Loan Bill limited the total amount of money to be raised for railway construction to $5 million. The bill passed unanimously and received Royal Assent on April 17, 1880. However, Whiteway’s appeal for British financial aid fell on deaf ears. The British government determined the railway to be of strictly local importance, with no direct, imperial concerns. As such, they could not guarantee the colony’s bonds.

Nevertheless, Whiteway was not dissuaded. Instead, the premier decided to build only to Halls Bay, to connect with the copper mine development in the area. Stopping there, near the Baie Verte Peninsula, would circumvent the French Shore issue, too. Again, heady optimism overrode pertinent financial questions, namely how Newfoundland’s small population could bear the full cost of a railway.

Between July and December 1880, the route was surveyed for $36,000. In addition to the Halls Bay line, a stretch of track to Harbour Grace was surveyed. Twenty Canadian engineers conducted the survey for the Harbour Grace extension, estimating its final cost at $1.25 million. The surveyors’ nationality caused further controversy for the project. The political opposition spread rumours that Canada was behind the survey; that the country would soon take over Newfoundland entirely; and that onerous taxes would cause Newfoundlanders to lose their property and belongings. Such conservative rabblerousing influenced public opinion, even inciting violence during the “Battle of Foxtrap” on July 22, 1880, when residents attacked railway surveyors.

In early 1881 the government sought tenders for the railway’s construction. An investment syndicate headed by A. L. Blackman, a New York lawyer, won the contract, after modifying their initial demands. Blackman’s company would construct the railway for an annual subsidy of $180,000 and 5,000 acres of land per mile, a considerable savings compared to other tenders. (Blackman’s original offer was $252,000 and 6,400 acres, respectively.) The contract was signed on April 20, 1881. To be completed in five years, the contracted railway would run from St. John’s to Halls Bay, with branch lines to Harbour Grace and Brigus in Conception Bay. On April 30 the Newfoundland Railway Bill passed through the House of Assembly, by a vote of 20 to 6. Blackman’s group would become known as the Newfoundland Railway Company.

Reasonable suspicions were soon raised about Whiteway’s connections to the United States and mining interests in Newfoundland. The Newfoundland Consolidated Mining Company owned the copper mine at Halls Bay, the proposed terminus for the railway. Whiteway was a director of the American Mining Company, of which the Newfoundland mines were a part. Governor John Hawley Glover accused Whiteway of having private interests which conflicted with those of the public. The opposition also worried about the merger of the Newfoundland Mining and Railway Companies, to the detriment of the island’s future.

Railway work started in August 1881. Whiteway turned the first sod in a ceremony at Fort William, St. John’s, the eastern terminus. Initially, the railway was set to be broad-gauge, but to save money, narrow-gauge (3’6”) line was used. Most of this work was done by pick and shovel, with the aid of horse and cart. Construction continued after the 1882 election, which Whiteway won on his “progressive” railway policy, promising to diversify the economy and give Newfoundland’s working class a “fair deal.”

Despite Whiteway’s victory, rumours spread about the viability and solvency of the Newfoundland Railway Company. One flashpoint was the controversy surrounding a branch extension from Harbour Grace to Carbonear. Residents from Carbonear lobbied the government to bring the railway to their community, and a contract was signed for the work on December 16, 1882. However, the necessary capital could not be raised, and the planned extension was put on hold. (This extension would only see completion in 1898, via present-day Bristol’s Hope.)

The situation in Harbour Grace-Carbonear augured the future financial state of the Newfoundland Railway Company—bankruptcy. On March 22, 1884, C. X. Hobbs, director of the Company, informed the Legislature that construction could not continue, due to the Company’s financial position. Hobbs later admitted the Company was bankrupt. Though some work had been completed between Harbour Grace, Whitbourne (then Harbour Grace Junction), and St. John’s, the track was nowhere near finished. Unsurprisingly, blame fell on the Newfoundland government, for failing in their due diligence. Whiteway was now left with a bankrupt contractor, sixty miles of completed track, and an embarrassing political situation. According to historian D. W. Prowse, the line was poorly surveyed from the beginning, and mismanagement and extravagance led to its default.

After its bankruptcy, the Company was placed in receivership under Sir Frank Evans. British bond holders, acting as mortgagee, completed and operated the railway through Evans, the liquidator. After these arrangements were made, despite pressing financial problems, the railway’s ‘Southern Division,’ from St. John’s to Harbour Grace, was completed on October 4, 1884—the first railway line constructed in Newfoundland. The first train ran over the track on November 22, 1884.

Under the receivership of Evans, the railway maintained a regular schedule. According to a local resident, the first train would leave at 7:45 a.m. and return at 2:00 p.m., the second train leaving at 5:00 p.m. or later. The line was relatively successful, paying modest returns and opening Harbour Grace to the wider Avalon Peninsula (and, later, Newfoundland). However, bondholders were ultimately not satisfied with their investment, eventually selling the Harbour Grace Railway to the Newfoundland government for around $1.5 million in 1896. The Harbour Grace branch line operated for fourteen years before the main line was completed in 1898.

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Harbour Grace Railway Station

 

The Harbour Grace Railway Station was built circa 1884, to accompany Harbour Grace’s branch line. The building resembles the form and style common in Newfoundland stations. Originally, the station was painted ochre red. In 2016, during research by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland & Labrador, evidence of this early colour was found on the building. Also, according to Wayne Cashin, son of Harold Cashin, the last station agent in Harbour Grace, the building was once painted ochre red. (The building was restored to its original colour in 2017.) In 1898 Robert G. Reid took ownership of the station, along with the island’s railway interests. The colour of the station soon changed to yellow and green—standard among Reid Newfoundland Company stations. The station contained three rooms—the waiting room, express room, and main office—and two ticket windows. In Newfoundland, the stations were meant to be inconspicuous, to fit with surrounding architecture. Hence the buildings were built from a standard plan—frame, single-clad structures with clapboard exteriors. These specifications were standard across the island, except for St. John’s. Local builders likely erected the station using readily available material.

The Harbour Grace Railway Station closed on March 31, 1984, the last train running later in September. On May 13, 1996, the Harbour Grace Historical Society obtained custody of the building. The group used the station as their regular meeting place, later converting the building into a museum. In remembrance of this initiative, the station was later renamed the Gordon G. Pike Railway Station Heritage Museum and Park, after the former mayor and leading member of the Historical Society. The museum regularly operated during the summer for years, eventually closing due to needed repairs.

On October 5, 1996, the station became a Municipal Heritage Site. In 2016 the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland & Labrador designated the station a Registered Heritage Structure. In 2017 the station underwent exterior renovations and was converted to its original ochre red colour. In 2018-19 the interior of the station was restored and repainted through funding from the provincial government. In fall 2019 the Town of Harbour Grace won Newfoundland & Labrador Historic Trust’s prestigious Southcott Award for Heritage Restoration for their efforts to revive the Harbour Grace Railway Station.

The Gordon G. Pike Railway Museum is currently closed for the 2019 season! Thanks to everyone who visited. See you next summer!

 

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Location:

 

GPS Coordinates: 47.695851, -53.218784
Street Address: 42 Military Rd, Harbour Grace, NL

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Harbour Grace Railway Timeline

 

1847    In its May 22 edition, the Morning Post recommends building the first rail line in Newfoundland. The Post advocates the railway connecting with a steamer, which could serve the populous centres of Conception Bay.

 

1865    The Legislature passes a resolution offering to give land and grants to any company willing to construct a railway in Newfoundland.

 

1868    Sanford Fleming, engineer for the Canadian Intercolonial Railway, makes a proposal to the Newfoundland Government for a trans-island railway. At his own expense, Fleming sends an engineer to determine if a Newfoundland railway is feasible.

 

1874    Frederic B.T. Carter is elected premier.

 

1875    Carter recommends money be voted for a railway survey. Supervised by Fleming, this survey advocates a short line terminating at St. George’s, on Newfoundland’s west coast. Due to its location on the French Treaty Shore, the British Government rejects this location as a western terminus.

 

1878    William V. Whiteway leads the Liberals to victory in the general election on a platform that includes a promise of action on a railway. Whiteway appoints a joint committee of the Legislative Council and House of Assembly to study the question.

 

1880    The committee report of April 2 recommends a narrow-gauge (3’6”) railway be constructed from St. John’s to Halls Bay, with a branch line to Harbour Grace.

The survey commences in the spring under the supervision of Sanford Fleming.

On June 26, the inhabitants of Foxtrap, Conception Bay, believing they will lose their land to the railway, stone surveying engineers, take away their instruments and drive them from their work. The incident becomes known as the “Battle of Foxtrap.” Later that summer, when the men of Tilton are away at the Labrador fishery, the community’s women turn out in force to oppose the railway.

 

1881    On April 20, the Newfoundland Government enters into a contract with the Blackman Company, an investment syndicate headed by New York lawyer A.L. Blackman.

 On April 30, the Newfoundland Railway Bill passes through the House of Assembly.

On July 7, nineteen engineers and helpers arrive in St. John’s on the SS Nova Scotia for work on the rail line.

On August 9, the ceremonial first sod is turned at Fort William, St. John’s, the eastern terminus of the railway.

Work commences on the railway to Harbour Grace at the end of the working season. Twenty miles are graded, ten miles metalled.

First steam locomotives arrive in Newfoundland.

 

1883    Railway reaches Whitbourne (Harbour Grace Junction) in late fall.

 

1884    On March 22, C.X. Hobbs, director of the Blackman’s Newfoundland Railway Company, informs the Legislature of the company’s insolvency. The Company is placed under the receivership of Frank Evans, with British bondholders as mortgagee.

On October 4, the line to Harbour Grace via Whitbourne is completed. It is known as the Harbour Grace Railway, ‘Southern Division.’

On October 11, the Harbour Grace branch of the Newfoundland Railway officially opens.

On November 22, the first train runs over the from Harbour Grace-St. John’s track.

 

1890    Robert G. Reid signs a contract with to complete the St. John’s-Halls Bay rail line.

 

1893    Reid signs a new contract with the Newfoundland Government, agreeing to construct the line to Port aux Basques, on the island’s west coast, instead of Halls Bay.

 

1896    Newfoundland Government takes over the railway from British bondholders.

 

1898    Reid buys the railway from the Newfoundland Government, after completing the line to Port aux Basques.

Reid completes the line from Harbour Grace to Carbonear.

On June 29, the first train leaves St. John’s to cross Newfoundland. The trip takes 27 hours and 45 minutes to reach Port aux Basques.

 

1912    The Harbour Grace train reaches St. John’s on February 29, after 13 days getting around the bay through the heavy snow drifts.

 

1923    Newfoundland Government buys the railway from Reid Newfound Company. The line is renamed the “Newfoundland Government Railway.”

 

1926    The Newfoundland Government Railway becomes the “Newfoundland Railway.”

 

1949    The Canadian National Railway (CNR) takes over the Newfoundland Railway.

 

1982    On February 15, Canadian National Railway, on behalf of Terra Nova Transport, applies to the Canadian Transport Commission to remove the agent and station building at Harbour Grace.

 

1984    The Harbour Grace Railway Station closes on March 31.

On September 20, the last train leaves Harbour Grace for St. John’s. The train is headed by a pair of G.M. 875 H.P., Road Switchers, Nos. 800 and 804. Jerry Maddigan, Engineer; Gordon Smith, Conductor; Tom Carew, Gerry McGinnis and Job Blackmore, Trainmen, operate this final train.

 

1985    By motion on August 7, the Harbour Grace Town Council authorizes the Mayor and Town Manager to sign purchase documents with Terra Transport for the railway station at the cost of $1.00.

 

1996    On March 11, the Harbour Grace Historical Society applies to Council for custody of the station, with a view to inside restoration and making it a museum. Custody of the station is given to the Society on May 13.

On August 5, the Historical Society begins inside restoration and grounds maintenance.

On October 5, the station is designated a Municipal Heritage Site.

 

2016    The Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland & Labrador designates the Harbour Grace Railway Station a Registered Heritage Structure.

 

2017    The Harbour Grace Railway Station undergoes exterior renovations. The building is returned to its original colour, ochre red.

 

2019    The interior of the waiting room underwent repairs. The room received a new floor, bathroom, and paint job.